Djokovic, Li, Serena beat Australian heat

HEATED COMPETITION:Venus Williams, Sarah Errani and Petra Kvitova suffered under soaring temperatures to fall in the first upsets of this year’s Australian Open

AFP, MELBOURNE, Australia

Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova yesterday celebrates beating the US’ Venus Williams in their women’s singles match on Day One of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Photo: AFP

Novak Djokovic’s Boris Becker era got under way in low-key fashion yesterday, as a clinical Serena Williams and Li Na showed their intent on an eventful first day at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

As temperatures soared and big names fell by the wayside, Djokovic and Williams dodged the day-time heat to open their campaigns with wins on at the Rod Laver Arena.

Williams put Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty to the sword, but Djokovic, playing his first competitive match under new coach Becker, was surprisingly sloppy as he took nearly two hours to subdue Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko.

“It’s my first competitive match this season after a five to six week break and I was rusty in the first two sets,” said the Serb, who seeking a fourth straight Melbourne title.

The unseeded Venus Williams, wilting in the midday heat, lost to Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova over three sets, while Italian seventh seed Errani went out to Julia Goerges.

Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the sixth seed, fell victim to a sensational upset when she was ambushed 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 by unheralded Thai Luksika Kumkhum.

“I think that probably I wanted it too much and then everything just fell down,” the Czech player said.

China’s Li, last year’s runner-up, escaped the 30?C heat by racing through her opener against 16-year-old Ana Konjuh 6-2, 6-0.

“I think it was very lucky we played today. Tomorrow will be the worse,” Li said, adding that she moved her practice today, when temperatures are forecast to soar, to an earlier slot. “I didn’t want to kill myself on the court.”

The ice packs were already out on Day One, with the Netherlands’ Kiki Bertens needing medical attention during her defeat to former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic.